


a simple thing like snowfall

by ace_corvid



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Cute Kids, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Snowball Fight, very late secret santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22352326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ace_corvid/pseuds/ace_corvid
Summary: “Mr. Burger!” Lisa smiles, rotating her head with the same menace as a roulette wheel. That definitely bodes well, nothing odd to see there. “What brings you to my humble establishment?”At the word humble, a squawk that sounds suspiciously like Collin echoes over the hustle and bustle of the School Store. Ed should really come here more often.
Relationships: Cody Jones & Edward Burger, Cody Jones & Lisa, Edward Burger & Cody Jones & Lisa, Edward Burger & Lisa
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	a simple thing like snowfall

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is my very very very late secret santa so i'll spare you the excuses and just say I hope you enjoy!

Ed stood in the school yard completely alone.

He couldn't believe it... all of his friends, they were all _gone_. He'd never imagined it ending like _this_. He never thought he'd have to be the lone hero.

Isabel had always been the strongest of them in so many ways, but she had been the first to fall; the absence of her leadership eventually starting a domino effect that led to the downfall of each of the activity club kids, one by one.

After Isabel, Max wasn't far behind, and Isaac too had slowly succumbed to the scourge of Mayview Middle school. Even Dmitri wasn't safe from it's claws.

It had just taken them all out, like they were nothing. They'd folded like wet paper in it's grasp, and now? They were _gone_.

Never had Ed ever thought he'd be the last one standing. How was he supposed to do this alone?

Ed literally could not believe every spectral he knew had come down with the flu. What even the heck? What even are the chances?

He's the only member of the activity club who hasn't come down with it, and as such, he's the only one in attendance at school today. And even when he gets home, Izzy's been completely quarantined on the order of her grandfather.

It sucks, but it's not the be all and end all, Ed can admit. He's a fun, outgoing nerd with lot's of friends, he can handle a day or two alone, without so much as even a peep from Mr. Spender.

And it's with that thought that he heads to the School Store at break.

“Mr. Burger!” Lisa smiles, rotating her head with the same menace as a roulette wheel. That definitely bodes well, nothing odd to see there. “What brings you to my humble establishment?”

At the word _humble_ , a squawk that sounds suspiciously like Collin echoes over the hustle and bustle of the Cafe. Ed should really come here more often.

“Ah, well all of my friends are dead you see. So, I'm simply all alone in the world. A lost traveller.”

“Would the lost traveller like a drink?” Lisa smiles like the cat that caught the canary, sending a shiver down Ed's spine, but Lisa's just Like That, so Ed doesn't really think much of it. There are scarier things in this school, probably.

“And sell my soul in the process? Sure.” Lisa's smile is a little more genuine at that.

“Don't promise me anything you can't afford to lose Ed.” She winks dramatically, and throws him a can of Tab. A voice a couple seats down the bar cuts in.

“Besides,” Cody bemoans. “She's already got enough souls as it is. Her rooms getting full. There's no room anywhere.” Lisa pouts at him, but Ed just laughs and shuffles down the bar enough to sit next to him.

“Is that... blood?” Ed asks, staring into his cup holding a dark red liquid. Cody shrugs and smiles, and then proceeds to not only not answer him, but blatantly changes the subject. Ed shrugs it off. There are weirder things in Mayview; including Ed.

They fall into an easy conversation, school politics, the comings and goings of the school council, the new interest rates on hall passes, the state of the cafeteria food. Lisa and Violet drop in whenever they feel like it, voicing their opinions as if everyone in the school hasn't known exactly what Violet thought since she was 8. Apart from maybe Max, but he seems to be catching up well enough.

Cody is the kind of guy anyone can get along with, even if you get the feeling he's keeping you at an arm's length so long you may as well be a state away. (Not that Ed's ever been a state away. Getting past the barrier is more trouble than it's worth, and it's not like Mr. Guerra would ever leave.) Cody's nice enough that you sometimes don't notice though, but Ed's sharper than some people like to think. He's pretty sure even Jeff knows, deep down.

The bell signalling the end of break rings, and Ed shoves himself off his chair with a sigh. He has history with Mr. Spender next, which is always a joy, if nothing else than to see minor spirits try to smack him around while he is powerless to do anything about it.

At the end of class, Spender pulls him aside.

“Since you're the only one in today,” He tells him. “I'm going to need you to patrol at lunch.”

“Sure. Muse is in my locker right now, I'll go get him.” Ed tells him easily. He can probably patrol alone. Probably. And if he's in too much trouble, Mr. Spender will help out. Probably.

But sure enough, when he gets to his locker, Cody and Lisa are there.

“You coming to the school store for lunch?” Lisa asks idly, leaning on Cody in a way that could come from familiarity or Lisa's commitment to being as strange as possible. Cody doesn't seem to mind either way.

“Nah, I have... errands to run.” Ed fudges.

“Errands?”

“Yeah.”

“Like?”

“Ghost hunting.” Ed deadpans, pulling muse out his locker, sending a slight shock of spectral energy down his spine. Lisa cackles like she knows more than she should. Cody cracks a genuine smile at that one.

“Sounds like fun. We'll join you.” Cody's tone is amicable and friendly, but does not broker refusal. Ah well, it's not like they'll be able to see anything anyway. Apart from Ed beating up thin air with a paintbrush that looks like a theatrical prop, if things get exciting. Besides, just walking around the school with basically nothing to do is boring without friends.

“Well we better be going then!” Lisa smiles that predator smile, and with that, they're off. They amble around the school, fluxing from mostly comfortable silence to bouts of loud chatter, eating their lunch as they walk. Well, Ed eats. The other two just sip suspiciously Red drinks as inconspicuously as they can, which just makes it more suspicious.

Ed is in the middle of a rather theatrical retelling of a heavily reworked version of the Activity Club's latest adventure, minus the ghosts, waving his hands all over the place and getting crumbs everywhere in the process, when he feels something wet and disgusting _drip_ onto his head. He freezes and yelps as it drips onto his face, trying to get if off of him because it's _disgusting_ , like _ew_ , when he notices that Cody and Lisa are looking at him strangely and curiously respectively.

That's when he gets the sense to look up and, yep. Of course.

Hanging over the doorway is a poltergeisting, drooling Ravenous Gobbledygook. Because that thing never gives up, apparently. By the look of the spirits yelling out of it's stomach, that things been having lunch too. That means it's stronger.

That means, Ed should run, and Lisa and Cody probably should too because it's a poltergeist, but what is he gonna do, say that?

The Gobbledygook screeches and lurches for him, so he's throws himself back through the doorway to avoid it. He only glances at them for a split second, but Cody's expression is indecipherable, while Lisa is still just smiling. He doesn't have time to try and make up a lie as the spirit pounces for him once again. Ah well. People will believe anything anyway.

He slashes a thick line of glooping ink out in front of him, which the Gobbledygook smashes into like a freight train. Ed takes the opportunity for what it is and begins to run, but not before tapping Cody's shoulder on the way with a quizzical “Tag?”. 

He's not perfect under pressure; he's aware better lies have been told.

Without waiting for Cody to respond, he carries on running, the RG hot on his heels. He can hear it growling menacingly as it bounds after him, launching itself off the rows of lockers. Seeing a corner up ahead, he gets an idea. A stupid, stupid idea that is never in a million years going to work.

Obviously he's just gonna have to go for it.

Ed launches himself towards the end of the corridor with a burst of energy, the RG also speeding up to be close enough to nip at his t shirt. At the very last second, we wrenches himself away from the wall and left, falling out of the doors that open to the yard. The Gobbledygook, however, slams into the wall. Ed scrambles up as quickly as he can and slams his paintbrush against the persistent spirit, delivering a blow hard enough that it dissipates. It'll probably be back, but for now it's gone. 

Ed near collapses against the wall before Cody barrels into him, dragging him away from a Lisa running just as unnaturally fast behind them. He must have somehow managed to tag her and honestly Ed doesn't really wanna know how.

They burst outside into the snowy yard and promptly nearly fall face first on the ice. Instead, they manage to stay upright long enough to slide right into the massive mound of shovelled snow just on the edge of the grass. Lisa approaches mockingly slow, which means there's pretty much no hope for them. They're gonna get tagged.

“Well well well, it seems I have you right in my web-” She crooned, before a snowball hits her right in the face. Ed turns to Cody enough to see him with is arm still outreached in the throwing position, a little fear on his face.

“Hubris.” Ed whispers, which Cody has the gall to not even acknowledge.

“Oh that is _ it _ .” Lisa half yells, before running to gather some snow to throw at him, Ed and Cody both scrambling behind the pile, making the beginnings of their supply.

The ensuing snowball fight went down as legend in the school.

It might just have been worth Ed finding himself miserably sick and quarantined along with Izzy the next day.

**Author's Note:**

> i really struggle writing ed and lisa holy shit asdfghjk  
> pls kudos if u liked it, or if ur feeing particularly lovely, comment! maybe check out my other stuff!
> 
> you can find me at:  
> Tumblr: ace-corvid.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: twitter.com/ace_corvid  
> come yell at me!
> 
> thank you sm for reading, see u next time!


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